Ever get the feeling that a lot of modern boats are just plain plain? Devoid of an individual persona and devoid of emotional impact?
Are our marinas populated with flotillas of plastic tubs with little to distinguish them from each other in terms of style or personality
The motor vehicle industry is doing a bit of soul searching on this topic. According to Rob Dolton writing in Car Design News the recent IAA 2025 (International Automobile Exhibition) in Munich has been framed as the great European automotive reset with competition from China taking a lot of the high level European designers by surprise.
This year’s IAA has been framed as the great European automotive reset. Some of Europe’s oldest and most storied OEMs have been struggling.
To quote from Rob’s article;
It’s time to take a long, hard look in the mirror, and for some of these grand old names to work out who they are and what they now mean to people.
Design must be at the forefront of this soul searching. I’ve always taken issue when friends tell me that “all cars look the same.” In general, I think this is a lazy comment, but in recent years it does seem that the vista has become more and more vanilla.
Is there a message here for the marine industry?
I don’t remember where I found a comprehensive set of photos of this wonderful little craft. It may not be ready for a circumnavigation or a Transat you wouldn’t accuse it of lacking character.
